Social media. Since its inception more than a decade ago, it has become the leading source for marketing. Where else can you reach a worldwide audience in less than 30 seconds? You may wonder, though, just how often you should post on social media. We’ll discuss some “rules” about social media posting, including what creates a successful and engaging post.
The Importance of Posting on Social Media
If you’re not posting on social media, why not? If you are, how often you post on social media is essential. Why? Because people have short memories. What you posted last month may be long gone from their radar if you wait for another month to post something.
Conversely, if you post every day or several times a day, it may get annoying, and people will unfollow you. So, what’s the fine medium? When should you post on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, and LinkedIn?
Before we delve into when you should post, including the time of day, let’s talk about why and what to post. First, advertising on any media channel will get traffic, which leads to visitors who can then turn into converted customers. Second, when you post content and stay connected with followers, this develops a relationship, where you can interact with each other. People like knowing they have a real person with which to communicate online.
Third, when you post engaging content, such as infographics, images, and videos, it tends to inform people that you are an authoritative, trusted source they can rely on; this ultimately keeps people interested in your product(s) or services lead to increased conversion rates. This is just common sense. If an audience is never reached, the company can’t succeed. It’s important to post relevant content and links that go back to your site, called backlinking.
Now, here is when you should post on social media platforms.
Posting on Social Media
Social media networks’ algorithms are all unique, but engagement and relevance are the critical factors in posting for business. For example, Facebook ranks meaningful interactions the highest, while Instagram orders content by popularity, relevancy, and a user’s relationship with the account. Tweets are sorted by time posted and relevance to its users, and Pinterest places content based on previous interaction of users. LinkedIn is ranked by engagement and the degree to which you are connected with someone on the platform or have mutual connections.
Here are the recommended times of when to post on social media.
Most studies agree that posting more than once a day is too much, three times a week is low, but daily is optimal. According to Hubspot, pages under 10,000 followers experienced a 50 percent decrease in engagement per post if posted more than once a day. For as to when you should post, the recommended time is early in the morning. If you’re on the west coast, that would be sometime before 6:30 AM since the east coast is typically three hours ahead, and it would be just when most people are getting to the office and getting settled. Another good time is after 8:30 when people are relaxing for the evening and can surf.
TIP: You can schedule your posts in advance if you don’t want to get up super early.
If you go on Twitter right now, you will likely see people posting several times a day and even more — believe it or not, that is normal! According to a Hootsuite study, median users tweet 2 times a month while the most prolific tweeters post upwards of 138 times a month. For the average Joe or Jane, that’s not so much, but it may be too much for a business and can amount to spamming users. Once or twice a day is probably plenty for a business. Because tweets have a short shelf life, it’s best to spread out your tweets when they get the most traction. This can vary widely, but the rule of thumb is before and after a workday, and maybe even lunchtime.
With Pinterest, you can go crazy and pin all day long, but the suggested amount is 3 pins a day with a maximum of 20 pins. Again, it largely depends on your audience, but you tend to grow more followers with at least 10 pins, but no more than 30 pins. Keep in mind that Pinterest now gives preference to new pins instead of repinned pins. Stagger your pins throughout the day for maximum exposure and engagement.
For Instagram, it’s generally recommended to post about once a day, but no more than three times a day. The evening tends to be a better time to post, likewise for early morning, which correlates with time zones.
There are different rules for LinkedIn since it’s mainly for business purposes. Posting a few times a week should be plenty, but it’s OK to post daily, but no more than that. Posting infographics, announcements, blogs, or images work well and increase traffic to your website, sometimes more than other social media platforms or publishers.
Need Marketing Help on Social Media?
At REVITY, we do more than just the average marketing agency. From marketing your business online to managing its progress, we are here from beginning to end. With a social media specialist who knows the ins and outs of posting, what to post, and when to, we can garner maximum exposure for your website. Our agency goes above and beyond the norm of what you would expect from a marketing company. Contact us to see the difference.
